Understanding Mortar and Petrographic Examination
Mortar is one of the most critical components for masonry facades to function properly. All too often, the wrong pointing mortar is installed, which leads to premature damage or failure of the facade. This presentation will begin with an overview of historic mortars and components. It is critical to understand the cementitious binders historically used, what modern materials are available, and material properties of the masonry materials. A methodology for assessing existing mortars and developing appropriate replication pointing mortar mixes will be outlined. Laboratory mortar analysis can be complex. This presentation will breakdown elements of petrographic examinations that are practical and helpful for mortar replication. If you ever work on a masonry building, you need to understand the mortar!
Speaker Info
Amy Woods, PE
Braun Intertec
awoods@braunintertec.com
312-859-0976
Speaker Bio
Amy Woods, PE is a principal engineer with Braun Intertec. Ms. Woods has over 25 years of experience in the field of forensic engineering of building materials, both historic and contemporary structures. Her experience includes facade and failure investigations with materials such as brick, masonry, terra cotta, stone, concrete, terrazzo, and stucco. Ms. Woods focuses on material consulting and collaborating with laboratory services on projects. From the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ms. Woods obtained a BS in Architecture, MArch in Architecture Historic Preservation, and MS in Civil Engineering Building Materials with a focus on cement chemistry. She is a licensed professional engineer in multiple states. Ms. Woods is a Board member for the Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) and Co-Chair of the Preservation Engineering Technical Committee (PETC), past Board member of the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) Seattle and Chicago chapters, Existing Masonry Committee member for The Masonry Society (TMS), and founder of Women in Restoration & Engineering (WiRE).
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